July 7, 2019 Misfits Like Us

Mephibosheth: From Outcast to Family 2 Samuel 9:1-13

He was five years old when word came that both his dad and grandpa had died.

Mephibosheth was the son of , the grandson of , the first king of Israel. In those days, the new king often established his authority by exterminating the family of the previous king. had no intention of following this tradition, but the family didn’t know that. So they hurried to escape. In the frenzy, Mephibosheth slipped from the arms of his nurse, landing on and permanently damaging both feet. For the rest of his life Mephibosheth was crippled. In an effort to escape the perceived wrath of the king, Mephibosheth and what was left of his family took up residence in Lo Debar, on the far side of the Jordan, just barely still in Israel territory.

If his story sounds familiar, it should. We’re a lot like Mephibosheth. Didn’t we also start out as royalty? And don’t we carry the wounds from a fall? And haven’t each one of us lived in fear of a king we have never seen? As Paul says, “we were utterly helpless” (Rm.5:6).

Back at the palace, David is finally established as king of Israel. Though God had anointed him king to succeed Saul years before, it took several years after the death of Saul for

David to secure the kingdom due to invading nations as well as the infighting between those loyal to him and those still loyal to Saul. Now all is calm, and David intends to keep a pledge he made to his best friend Jonathan, son of Saul – a pledge to show kindness to Jonathan’s family.

(Read Text)

“Is any of Saul’s family left to whom I can show kindness?” The question may have surprised some, but those who knew David best, those who had been with him ever since Saul tried to kill David, knew David’s respect for God’s anointed king and his love of Jonathan.

Through Ziba, Saul’s servant, it is discovered that a son of Jonathan is still alive. Ziba tells

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David, “He is crippled in both feet.” Translation: He’s damaged goods. It’s a stigma

Mephibosheth carried for twenty years.

Many of us know what it is to carry a stigma. Each time your name is mentioned, your misfortune follows. “Have you heard from Joe lately; too bad he lost his job.” “We saw Pete the other day. I wonder how he’s doing with his alcoholism.” “Sharon went to live with her parents.

What a shame she has to raise those children all by herself.” Your past follows you wherever you go. Isn’t there anyone who can see you for who you are and not what happened to you?

When people mentioned Mephibosheth, they mentioned his problem, he’s a cripple.

David responds to Ziba, “Where is he? Go get him.” When God speaks of you, he doesn’t mention your past, your pain, or your problems. God looks beyond all that, as if he never even knew it was there, and sees a child of royalty.

Mephibosheth is carried into the throne room. When he let’s go of his aide, he crumbles to the floor and bows down with respect but also in fear. With compassion David says his name,

“Mephibosheth.” The text does not indicate that Ziba ever told King David his name, yet the king knew it. Perhaps David got to see the son of his best friend Jonathan when he was born.

Now in the young man Mephibosheth, David sees his friend Jonathan … but he also sees fear.

“Don’t be afraid.”

God has been known to say those same words. Did you know that the most repeated command Jesus said was, “Don’t be afraid”? Did you also know that those words, or a variation of them, appear in every book of the Bible? Did you know those words, or a variation of them, are mentioned 365 times in the Bible? Every day we need to hear those words, don’t we? “Don’t be afraid.”

“Mephibosheth, I will restore to you all that belonged to your grandfather, it’s your heritage. Not only that, but from now on you will reside here, in the palace. You will be as one of

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my sons.” You would think that Mephibosheth would be overjoyed at the kindness of David; instead he seems to question why. “Why would you care about a dead dog like me?” To a Jew, anything dead was considered unclean, to be avoided. And dogs were not the family pets they are today but a repulsive animal due to the fact that they would eat anything and often scavenged dead carcasses. Perhaps carrying around the stigma of a cripple for twenty years, not to mention the reputation of his slain grandfather, the former king, had destroyed his self-worth.

Mephibosheth had been called, found, and restored, but he still needed assurance.

And don’t we, too? God has called us to himself. The Holy Spirit has found us in so many places with so many stigmas attached. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection we are restored. And yet, we’re not sure we want to accept it. We don’t feel worthy of such treatment. “Why would you care about a dead dog like me?”

Without answering him, David quickly restores to Mephibosheth all the lands, crops, and servants that had belonged to King Saul and then insists that the “cripple” will eat at the king’s table. The name Mephibosheth means “he scatters shame.” I’m not certain why Jonathan gave him that name; but, that is exactly what David intended to do for the young prince. David scattered any shame that Mephibosheth had. The writer wants us to know that Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table so emphatically he states it 4 times in the course of 4 verses.

Imagine with me. Everyone’s sitting around table. The foods piled high. All rise as the king enters the room and sits when the king sits. One of the younger boys grabs for a drumstick when the king commands, “Wait! We aren’t all here yet.” Just then, a bundle is carried into the room and Mephibosheth takes his seat.

A visiting dignitary from a far away country watches over the scene with great interest.

He leans over and whispers to a palace guard, “What’s up with the crippled young man?”

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The guard replies, “The ‘crippled’ young man was born an enemy of the king, but David has made him to be as one of his own sons.”

“I don’t understand?”

The guard smiles, “Not many people do. Isn’t he a great king?”

Ponder your life for a moment. How is it that you are here today, around the King’s table? Children of royalty, crippled by the fall, permanently marred by sin, we were enemies of

God. We spent our lives running, hiding in brokenness and shame. But God calls out our name, invites us to take a permanent place at the table, and scatters our shame. The Apostle Paul points us to the cross as our guarantee of God’s love: “God shows his great love for us this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Rm.5:8).

I want you to notice something. The story ends with this phrase, “and he was crippled in both feet.” Everyday, Mephibosheth ate at the kings table. He was given a place of honor. He was lifted to the glory and status of the king’s own sons and daughters. He was still crippled, but there was no shame.

God has given us a place of honor. We have been lifted to the glory and status of sons and daughters. We are still plagued with sin; it still haunts us. Everyone still sees it. We are still crippled, but there is no shame – Jesus took it away. It is a gift that is offered to even the lowliest sinner on earth. “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ

Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph.2:4-8).

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“What’s up with those crippled sinners?”

“Those ‘sinners’ were born enemies of the King, but God has made them to be his own sons and daughters.”

“I don’t understand?”

“Not many people do. Isn’t Jesus a great king?”

After communion and recitation of the Not a Misfit Creed:

At the end of the story is a little insert that we might easily overlook: “Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica.” The meaning of the name “Mica” is actually a rhetorical question:

“Who is like the Lord?” Perhaps when naming his son, Mephibosheth thought to himself, “Who would have ever guessed. I have an inheritance. I sit at the king’s table. I’m treated like royalty. I had no family, and now I have family. On top of all that, God has given me a son. Whenever I look into the face of this boy I will never stop asking myself, ‘Who is like the Lord?’”

We have been carried to the King’s table and experienced his love and grace again. At his table there is no shame; indeed, we are children of the King, part of the family of God. How much more should our response be, “Who is Like the Lord?”!

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